Rory McIlroy appeared to be in contention after carding a 4-under 68 in Thursday’s opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on the DP World Tour. His lone blemish on the scorecard was a double bogey on the Par 4 12th hole, but his six on the hole turned into an eight after being assessed a two-shot penalty after the round, which resulted in a day-one total of 70, putting him eight shots back of the lead.
What unfolded on the 12th hole on day one was a nightmare even before the two-stroke penalty was assessed.
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Left with just 113 yards to the flag after finding the fairway off the tee, McIlroy airmailed the green with a flip wedge in hand. His golf ball nestled in the rough beyond the green, and from there he proceeded to leave his chip shot short of the putting surface and had to watch his golf ball roll back to his feet into the divot he had made seconds before.
RORY MCILROY SHOULD BE THE LAST GOLFER TO CRITICIZE OTHERS FOR ‘PERFORMATIVE’ BEHAVIOR
Rory McIlroy reacts to a putt on the fifth hole during the third round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 6, 2026. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
During his pre-shot routine to hit what was his fourth shot on the hole, McIlroy placed his wedge behind the golf ball. A close-up video of the moment clearly showed a tuft of grass not returning to its original position behind the ball.
Speaking with the media after the penalty had been assessed, McIlroy explained that rules officials had shown him video of the moment on No. 12. The six-time major champion emphasized that he was not intentionally seeking to improve his lie and was “happy” to take on the two-shot penalty.
“Obviously there’s no intent. I play by the rules. I feel like this is never really — I try to do everything that I can to never end up in these positions,” McIlroy said, according to Golf Channel. “But just by looking at the video, like it doesn’t look — it doesn’t look very good. Obviously, that wasn’t my intent.”
“The ball is in a sort of bottom of a sandy divot,” he continued. “I’m trying to feel like if I can get a 54-degree, like, onto the back of the ball, but in the process, this piece of grass has sort of laid down, and it doesn’t — you know, the technical — I guess the technical term for the rule is if you press down on the piece. I’m happy to take a two-shot penalty and move on and move into tomorrow.”
Rory McIlroy grabs a club from his back on the first tee during the final round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)
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McIlroy was caught up in some rules drama during this summer’s Open Championship, although it was more so him inserting himself into another player’s business and not him cheating the rules of the game.
During the third round of the year’s final major, Bryson DeChambeau was assessed a two-shot penalty for stomping around the area near his golf ball, with rules officials deeming that the American had improved the line for his backswing.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the ninth hole on day one of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on September 17, 2026 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
McIlroy did not mince words when reacting to the moment.
“I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson,” McIlroy explained. “I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it is performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention.
“To hold the tournament hostage like that and to have all of us — players, volunteers, everyone — waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.”
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DeChambeau ultimately finished T-14 at The Open, while McIlroy finished T-40.
